%% Changed description per the Trope Description Improvement Drive (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13164954120A97000100&page=8#186). Cut stuff is on analysis. Please think long and hard before adding new cruft to the description; most will likely fit on the analysis page. %%

In the interest of creating a traditional medieval setting, many authors decide not to use guns and other explosives in their works. Sometimes reasons are given for this, and sometimes not. In RealLife, gunpowder and derivative inventions existed for most of the medieval era. This shows up most often in fantasy (hence the name), but can appear in any genre.

Expect lots of [[EpilepticTrees theories about technology suppression]] and other FanWank over why. If guns are present, but {{nerf}}ed -- whether for Gameplay reasons or RuleOfCool -- it's GunsAreWorthless.

Something to note is that this primarily applies to fantasy set in [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy the typical medieval-ish setting]], with castles, swords, knights and so on. UrbanFantasy tends to have no problem mixing guns and vampires, witches, wizards, etc., since this form of {{Fantasy}} tends to use the modern world as we know it. The same goes for ScienceFantasy, where the intent is to MixAndMatch things like laser guns and spells. When it comes to FairyTales, the trope is absent, although guns do tend to cross into the DeusExMachina level.

See the [[Analysis/FantasyGunControl Analysis page]] for theories on why this trope is so prevalent.----!!Examples'''No straight examples; otherwise we'd have [[OmnipresentTropes every fantasy book in existence here]].'''

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]* Downplayed in the ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' universe. Gunpowder exists, and at least two characters use steampunk-style cannons: Guts himself, who has [[ArmCannon one to replace his left arm]], and the demonic Grunbeld, who has one built into his shield. Full-sized cannon are also used for attack and defense in siege warfare and naval combat. Nevertheless, hand guns such as arquebuses or pistols do not seem to exist as any ranged weapons depicted tend to be bows or crossbows. * ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''** The anime introduced gunpowder-based weapons as the arsenal of Jillas, a humanoid fox minion of the third season's BigBad Valgaav. He has access to guns, bombs, and even built a primitive tank. This was given a certain justification in that Jillas came from a region with less magic; without magic, people had to come up with other ways to do things -- and "other ways" include [[spoiler:building a ballistic missile as powerful as a Dragon Slave]].** In ''REVOLUTION'', it's revealed that Seyruun has at least adopted cannons, and it's hinted they're designed by Jillas.* Averted in ''Manga/OnePiece''. Pirate crews typically have gunmen along with swordsmen, and neither are shown to be any less effective than the other. The only exception is the Straw Hat Pirates - the ranger of their team, Usopp, uses a slingshot instead, as it lets him use AbnormalAmmo.* ''Manga/InuYasha'' is fully aware of the time period it is set in, where firearms are growing in popularity but haven't quite reached Japan yet. So when one of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Band of Seven]] has guns, they're just handwaved as being imported. Before the arc is over, he gets turned into a [[RuleOfCool tank with missiles]] .* ''LightNovel/ZeroNoTsukaima'': ** Guns make an appearance on occasion being essentially an equalizer between nobles who use magic and plebs who cannot though only a few well trained musketeers are ever seen using them. ** There's a Vietnam era rocket launcher and a WWII era Zero fighter aircraft appear in the first season. Being from Earth the natives don't know how they work. Colbert learns how to make gasoline for the plane and the fact that the Zero fighter still has ammunition in the second season suggests that SOMEONE learned to make bullets. A Howitzer appears in season 3.\\\Gunpowder weaponry are more prominent in the light novels, which isn't a surprise since they are based in [[FantasyCounterpartCulture magical 16th century Europe]]. ** During his time in the army Guiche was tasked with using magic to [[MundaneUtility keep matchlocks dry in humid condition]], and flying airships are armed with heavy cannons. ** The elves have even more advanced armaments.* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''** One of Pain's paths is basically a bio-mechanical weapon that can fire missiles.** The normal WordOfGod prohibitions on guns is ignored in [[TheMovie The Movies]], when there are kunai turrets, artillery, muskets, and ''[[CrazyAwesome kunai machine guns]]''. Also, the characters recognize the existence of guns.** You have to pay attention, but during the Land of Waves arc, in one of the shops Sakura goes into, you can see the owner has a shotgun. Much later, in Part 2, Suigetsu jokingly threatens Sasuke by holding a finger-pistol to his head. Should be noted, though, most ninja possess enough SuperSpeed to render guns moot (at the very least, they are far too fast for most shooters, if not the bullets) and possess far greater destructive power, with the strongest capable of destroying Villages and mountains and and single-handily taking on entire ''countries'' in battle. In other words, [[JustifiedTrope they don't really need guns all that much.]]** It can also be argued that the necessity of guns dropped due to the difference in how battles are fought; in the Naruto universe, combat tends to be more focused on speed and stealth rather than firepower. Guns are notorious for being loud, and take precious seconds to reload, seconds that your enemy could take to send a kunai down your throat. While guns may make small appearances here and there, guns in the Naruto universe are woefully outclassed in large scale warfare, and therefore are pretty rare to find being utilized in combat.** Suigetsu's finger gun gesture gets explained much later; [[spoiler:one of his clan's signature jutsus is to make the gesture in order to shoot a high-speed water bullet out of their pointer finger. Hell, it's even called the "Water Gun Technique".]]* ''Manga/{{Drifters}}'' actually uses this as a plot point. The eponymous Drifters, being sucked from various ages and times in our world, range from those used to fighting with nothing but swords and arrows, to the Wild Bunch (with six-shooters and an early gatling gun) and a Japanese Zero pilot. The world they're dumped in, however, is roughly around the same era of advancement as 1100's Europe, with no real machinery and firearms being a near-complete unknown. One of OdaNobunaga's first tasks is to get large supplies of sulphur and charcoal and to start the creation of a saltpeter pit for gunpowder, and practically creams himself when he sees how far ahead of muskets the Wild Bunch's firearms are. The Drifters are explicitly changing the rate of technological expansion at a breakneck pace every time they're brought in, and it's even stated directly by the guy who summons them that it's one of their primary purposes -- to force the world to advance well beyond the pace it normally would.* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' applies this unevenly, as it tends to with its technology. Firearms are confined to basic muskets and considered all but useless outside of peacekeeping operations. On the other hand, cannons and artillery rounds are fairly advanced and considered vital for the defense of the Walls. Flare guns are standard equipment for the Survey Corps, with colored gunpowder being used as a major element of their communication system. Pistols do seem to exist, though don't seem to be very common outside the criminal elements. [[spoiler: It turns out that the lack of advancement in firearms is ''intentional'', with the SecretPolice murdering inventors of newer firearms as a threat to the government. The members of the elite Anti-Human Suppression Squad use custom-made revolvers to hunt down and slaughter rebellious elements within the military]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* The ''Grimjack'' comic includes firearms ... but since the city of Cynosure exists in multiple dimensions, the natural laws of any given neighbourhood may not let them work.* Similar to the ''Amber'' example below, guns are simply impractical in ''Necrophim'' because gunpowder spontaneously explodes when brought near a furnace. In prog 1665, one of Astaroth's lieutenants recruits five real-life firearms engineers to develops guns that will function correctly in {{Hell}}.* ''ComicBook/{{Artesia}}'' is set in a fantasy world that looks to be at about 15th-century European technology levels. They have bombards, although they have not been seen on-page as of yet.* Both justified and subverted in ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}''. Since the Empire coexists with modern-day Earth, the Adversary could provide his army with modern firearms. He chooses not to, because he fears that introducing guns to commoners might lead to rebellion. [[spoiler:The exiled Fables of Fabletown have no such inhibitions towards modern arms technology, which is one of the main reasons they win the war against the Empire.]]* Averted in ''ComicBook/TheWarlord'', although in fairness Skartaris is simply a convenient fantasy-style setting that ''coexists'' with modern-day Earth. Guns brought in by outsiders work fine there as long as the bullets last, and it turns out that at least some (though definitely not all) of the "black magic" there is simply based on remnants of ancient high technology that most natives have long since forgotten how to use.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]* Averted in ''[[FanFic/DumbledoresArmyAndTheYearOfDarkness Sluagh]]'', as Seamus is equally adept with a firearm as with a wand, and the muggle militiamen stand their own against the onslaught of magicians during the battle of Druim Cett. As Seamus noted, waving around a machine pistol in wartorn Belfast attracts far less attention than brandishing a wooden stick that shoots red thunderbolts.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]* Inverted in the 1977 animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}'' where the protagonist Avatar uses benevolent magic while his evil twin Blackwolf relies on malevolent magic and Nazi technology. [[spoiler: Ironically enough, Avatar uses a gun to kill his brother rather than engage in a magical battle. Furthermore, WordOfGun has dismissed the film's stance as anti-technology and the movie being anti-propanganda]]* Averted in ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'', where the hand cannons and arquebuses used by Lady Eboshi and her men are central to the story. It does sort of explain the need for this trope in many works, as the guns completely tip the balance of power to the point that the humans dominate the nature gods and massacre those that attack directly.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]* In ''Film/{{Krull}}'', the evil mooks have laser rifles.* In ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', some of the munchkins are seen wielding muskets, and the Scarecrow has a revolver when he goes with Dorothy to find the Witch. None of them are actually used, however.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gamebooks]]* The ''Literature/LoneWolf'' series averts this with the Darklords' ironclad warships armed with cannons and the "primitive" Dwarven Bor Muskets. In this series, guns are NOT worthless; Lone Wolf will either die or face a chance of dying instantly if an enemy has one of these muskets. When the muskets are first seen in Book 5, the friendly dwarves who have them manage to drive off a flock of Kraan, flying beasts that always give Lone Wolf a good fight in hand-to-hand combat. Oddly enough, they are always referred to as "primitive"; nothing else (except the aforementioned ironclads) seems to be more advanced in Magnamund. Certainly nothing from [[MedievalStasis Sommerlund]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': About half of the series takes place in a fantasy world inhabited by classic fairytale characters. On Captain Hook's ship, cannons can be seen in the background. However, that is the only time gunpowder weapons make an appearance in the Enchanted Forest world. Also, guns are never seen being used in battle.** Emma tries to kill both an [[GenreBlindness ogre and a dragon with a pistol]]. * ''Series/{{Revolution}}''** Most civilians carry low-tech weapons like swords and crossbows even though cartridge firearms were invented before electricity was harnessed. This is explained as guns being illegal for civilians to own, which was graphically demonstrated on a rebel who got caught by the militia for illegally possessing guns in [[Recap/RevolutionS1E2ChainedHeat Episode 2]]. However, that doesn't explain why militia members, who are allowed to have guns, only use muskets. Could be explained by most of the modern ammunition being used up during the intervening 15 years. Musketballs are probably easier to manufacture with primitive technology. This theory is verified by [[Recap/RevolutionS1E3NoQuarter Episode 3]], with Jeremy mentioning that pre-blackout ammunition was a rare commodity and that copper jackets and smokeless powder were beyond at least the Monroe Republic's manufacturing capabilities.** Although that too makes little sense; modern weapons can easily fire lead bullets without a copper jacket, smokeless powder can be replaced by conventional gunpowder (although at a lower efficiency), and brass casings are reusable. The hardest part would be replacing modern primers, but that's possible too. *** It could also be a control measure as well. Monroes guards are seen carrying automatic weapons, while most of the rank and file are carrying single shot muskets. Considering that it can take anywhere from 20-30 seconds to reload a musket of any type, they certainly wouldn't be able to match the fire power of those most loyal to Monroe, who would then proceed to waste every one of them with a single magazine in the time it takes any of them to get their next shot off.** Later episodes did bring out modern weapons into the mix...[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]* ''Franchise/{{Bionicle}}'' only had throwing disks, explosive fruit and energy projectiles for half of its run, then introduced more gun-like weapons due to ExecutiveMeddling (they sold better than close-combat weapons), the most notable being the Cordak [[GatlingGood Gatling guns]] whose projectiles weren't magical energy-blasts or {{Phlebotinum}} shells, but genuine explosives. The Zamor launchers, Midak Skyblasters, Nynrah Ghost blasters and Thornax launchers are more fantasy-esque, but resemble personal, hand-held firearms. Kopaka's Skyblaster is even outfitted with a bayonet, Gali's Nynrah Ghost gun has crosshairs attached, and both have laser-sights.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]* The main character of ''Webcomic/SixGunMage'' is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a mage who weilds a revolver]].* In ''Webcomic/{{Endstone}}'', [[http://endstone.net/2011/03/03/5-14/ one is introduced]] to deal with AntiMagic.* Averted in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', of all places. The dwarven assassin who tries to kill Roy (believing that he's the King of Nowhere) wields a pistol and uses barrels of explosives to (unintentionally) destroy the inn where Roy is staying. Guns probably aren't widely utilized given the prevalence of magic in this setting and the fact that no weapon is particularly lethal due to HitPoints.* ''Webcomic/{{Skullkickers}}'' has no practical guns EXCEPT for Baldy's surprisingly sophisticated revolver. [[spoiler:eventually it is revealed that he has been displaced from another dimension with more advanced technology, in a wild west setting]].* The Dimension of Lame from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' has this in place, though not for the usual reasons. It's not that they don't have the technological capacity to build guns, it's just that every single being in that universe is a die-hard pacifist. Even tapeworms are polite and friendly and inexplicably sapient. Their most advanced weapon is a NUKE (Notification of Unified Kindness' Envelopes), the "NUKE" blankets the area with thousands of polite yet stern letters. Their greatest psychopath, after months of training, manages to bring himself to hit a demon in the toe with a mallet before having a breakdown and apologizing.* Firearms are present in ''Webcomic/{{Strays}}'' which is otherwise MedievalEuropeanFantasy or thereabouts. The exact kind/"tech level" of firearms available is undetermined as only one has been seen, and even then not clearly.* Partially averted in ''Webcomic/TalesOfTheQuestor'': The Racconans figured out not just gunpowder but ''rifling'' '''centuries''' ago -- it's just that "[[http://www.rhjunior.com/totq/00650.html Boomslangs]]" capable of killing a hardened target (such as croco-centaurs or thugs with lux-reinforced armor) are too big and heavy for most of them to ''carry'', let alone fire, because their species is about 2 feet tall. Another problem is that Racconan lands are notoriously poor in metal, which makes using a kilo or two of precious steel for a single weapon prohibitively expensive. And beyond that, the entire race has a talent for magic.* ''Webcomic/TwiceBlessed'' has a kobold bounty hunter that uses a very large gun (or a small cannon) with a Chinese dragon motif.* Averted in ''Webcomic/{{Amya}}'', with multiple characters wielding flintlock pistols.* True for the most part in ''Webcomic/AtArmsLength'', as most of the magical beings prefer bladed or wooden weapons, or use magical-based spells and projectiles for attacks. Still averted in a few cases, such as Ginger, [[http://atarmslength.smackjeeves.com/comics/1327703/games-monsters-play-59/ who packs a WWI-era Colt M1911]], as well as an unseen minotaur who was mentioned by Sheila to have been carrying a .44 Magnum when they encountered him.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]* Played with in ''Literature/ChaosFighters'', as explained by [[http://http://journal-of-murazrai.xanga.com/767855119/page-134-random-chaos-fighters-tidbit-7/ word of god]]* [[Literature/TheLayOfPaulTwister Paul Twister]] apparently DoesntLikeGuns, and in his narration he says that that's one thing he has no intention of [[GivingRadioToTheRomans starting one of his research projects on.]] And in the epilogue, we find out that [[spoiler: the invention of gunpowder was what prompted the dragons to separate the world of magic from Earth, and they've been [[EnforcedTrope suppressing knowledge of it]] ever since. Ryell tells Paul that guns, bombs and rockets are "abominations" that are forbidden. She claims that she wants to preserve a peaceful world; Paul theorizes that the real reason is that they would make it possible to create weapons that could easily harm a dragon.]]* Implied in TheOnceAndFutureNerd.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* ''PiratesOfDarkWater'' has guns that are actually some sort of acid-spraying or dart-throwing creature encased in a tube, with a grip and trigger much like a pistol. Much of their technology is based on the indigenous ecology of Planet Mer. Like [[AbnormalAmmo using a sea star as a shuriken.]]* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is possibly the strangest show to avert this. Rainbow Dash mentions she wants a pet "fast, like a bullet," names the pet she gets "tank," and Pinkie Pie has a party cannon. This is really strange considering A) it is a show about magical ponies marketed to little girls, and B) no pony actually has fingers and a third of the population has access to magic.\\\Even more bizarrely, the closest thing to an actual firearm in the show is the show's main magic-attuned character, Twilight Sparkle, herself. In two different episodes, she rapidly "fires" magic energy at other characters in a manner similar to automatic weaponry. In "A Canterlot Wedding" Pinkie Pie uses Twilight Sparkle as a magic Gatling gun by grabbing Twilight's tail and using it as a trigger, causing Twilight's unicorn horn to rapidly fire at [[spoiler:an army of changelings]]. In "Too Many Pinkie Pies" Twilight fires rapid-fire spells at [[spoiler:a number of Pinkie Pie clones]] until her horn overheats and needs to cool down.* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and its sequel ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' are an interesting case. Guns don't appear, although by the second series technology has progressed to not just cars, radios, and skyscrapers, but [[spoiler:biplanes, plasma cutters, and even ''MiniMecha'']]. This is explained by the fact that rudimentary early firearms wouldn't have stood a chance against powerful [[ElementalPowers benders]], especially the [[ExtraOredinary metal-benders]]. However, gunpowder and other explosives are quite prevalent, and used in both war and terrorism. One cannon is even seen as early as the first series.** In the final season of ''Korra'', [[spoiler:Kuvira's [[FantasticNuke spirit energy]] WaveMotionGun]] bears great resemblance to a real-life railway cannon, but OrphanedEtymology is averted.--> '''Bolin:''' Wooow. That's one big... ''thing''.* In the ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' episode ''Chaos at the Earth's Core'', Skartaris is shown as a medieval or lower society with strong magic users. Since the Warlord of Shamballah and the Big Bad's mooks have no trouble using guns and other advanced weapons, the issue seems to be one of know-how and available resources. (This is in keeping with the original comics, above.)[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]* Averted in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimorium_Verum The Grimorium Verum]], which contains a spell for protecting the caster against firearms.* More or less averted in history. The medieval formula for gunpowder had been written two centuries before the Catholic Church officially acknowledged the existence of witches. Furthermore, the use of the arquebus, the matchlock, and flintlock did nothing to stop occultists from penning grimoires well into the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. In the minds of many during these periods, both magic and firearms were a part of daily life.[[/folder]]